-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On the London Underground there is a saying which has become synonymous with any tourist visit to the British capital .

`` Mind the Gap '' .

It 's up there with the Queen , a wonderfully indulgent cream tea , Beefeaters outside the Tower of London and all those quintessentially English pastimes which tend to draw those flocking from overseas .

It is a saying which has been emblazoned across numerous t-shirts and posters , while children on the underground seem to delight in repeating the famous phrase .

But now , in London at least , those three words have been hijacked by the supporters of Tottenham and Arsenal , who will now no doubt continue to mock each other until the end of the season .

Following Tottenham 's 2-1 win over its city rival Sunday , the `` gap '' is seven points with Andre Villas-Boas ' side now occupying third place and more importantly , a qualification spot for next year 's Champions League .

But Arsenal has been here before . Last season , Tottenham blew a 10-point advantage to allow its fiercest foe to take third spot and a place in Europe 's elite competition .

Before Arsenal 's astonishing comeback , which followed the 5-2 thrashing of Tottenham just over a year ago , it was those dressed in the blue and white which sang merrily about minding the gap .

It was a song they would come to regret as Arsenal grew in strength while Spurs faltered , eventually leading to Harry Redknapp 's exit and the failure to reach the promised land of the Champions League .

But a year in football is a long time -- just ask Villas-Boas .

A year ago Monday , the man known as `` AVB '' was sent packing from Chelsea with his reputation in ruin .

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had paid $ 20 million to take the young Portuguese coach from Porto to Stamford Bridge less than 10 months earlier .

But his spell in charge proved a disaster , leaving the club on the brink of exit from the Champions League , out of the Premier League title race and facing humiliation .

Vilified for his team selections , his unorthodox style of crouching on the touchline and man-management skills , he was seen as `` Mourinho-lite '' and simply not in the same class as the `` Special One . ''

Villas-Boas confirmed as new Tottenham boss

But a year on since leaving west London , Villas-Boas is steadily building a team bursting with potential , led by the ever improving Gareth Bale .

It was Bale , of course , who proved the man for the occasion , firing Tottenham ahead eight minutes before the break with a coolly taken finish -- his 20th of the season .

With nine goals in his past seven club games , Bale continues to astound , rightly or wrongly allowing comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi to gather pace .

While his imperious run of form has been a joy for Tottenham supporters , it is also the new found steel which has been lacking in the past , which has made this side a far more accomplished proposition .

AVB : Bayern is the perfect club for Guardiola

Once Aaron Lennon had added a second less than two minutes after Bale 's opener , Arsenal was facing an uphill struggle .

Suddenly that gap was increasing and Arsenal 's apathetic attitude to defending gave little to suggest that anything but a widening chasm between the two clubs .

Now unbeaten in 12 league games , Tottenham deserves to be taken seriously .

`` Forever in our shadow '' was what Arsenal fans used to chant at their rivals -- and with justification following its domination of north London since Wenger 's arrival .

In fact , not since 1995 has Tottenham finished above Arsenal in England 's top division , a statistic which will surely be consigned to history at the end of the current campaign .

Yes , Arsenal did find a route back into the game after the interval when Bale inadvertently directed Per Mertesacker 's header into his own net .

Bale steals limelight

But Tottenham , marshaled by Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen , held out comfortably to claim a crucial victory in their quest for the Champions League and the domination of north London .

`` It was very , very important for what it means , but obviously nothing is finished yet , '' Villas-Boas told Sky Sports .

`` We have to believe that we still have to fight hard . Arsenal have to play Man City , we have to play Liverpool -LRB- next weekend -RRB- .

`` We try to profit from another important fixture and keep doing our job . It is important we gather as many points as we can to finish where we want to be .

`` Last year , by this time , Arsenal made the difference of seven points to Tottenham and we know how it finished , '' Villas-Boas added .

`` Motivations are now different . We are extremely confident . They are on a low at the moment . We have to continue to do our job . ''

Pressure grows on Wenger

For Arsenal and its beleaguered manager Arsene Wenger , the gap shows no sign of narrowing any time soon .

For 16 years it has been the ruler of its own backyard , but the neighbor is beginning to stir .

Without a trophy in eight years , on the brink of an exit from the Champions League , the Frenchman is facing the most difficult spell since he arrived at the club in October 1996 .

But Wenger refutes any suggestion that Tottenham has overtaken his side in terms of quality .

`` That 's not the impression I got from the game today , '' he told Sky Sports News . `` We were not efficient in those decisive zones , not at the back or up front .

`` We were not cautious enough . On the two goals we played offside in a position where we should n't play offside .

`` It is difficult to struggle with defeat because of the effort we put in and the energy level we put in over the 90 minutes was tremendous .

`` We made it difficult for ourselves . We came back and dominated the game but the game was stop and go .

`` It was difficult to get a flow in the final 20 minutes , we did n't find the second goal . ''

United march on

But as fans got back onto the London Underground this evening following the contest , the question marks over Wenger 's future remain .

Monday will mark his 6000th day in charge and while supporters may be losing faith , Wenger is adamant Arsenal can still qualify for next season 's Champions League

He added : `` It 's very frustrating , but we have to put the energy in every game like we did today and keep going , you never know .

`` It would be absolutely terrible not to fight like mad because there are a lot of positives in the game .

`` What happened today we have seen repeated so many times in big games that of course it 's difficult . ''

Lazio punished for fourth racism

In Italy , Rodrigo Palacio spared Inter Milan any embarrassment with a late cameo performance to steal a 3-2 win at Catania .

Trailing 2-0 at the break thanks to strikes from Gonzalo Bergessio and Giovanni Marchese , Inter fought back in the second half to turn the game on its head .

Ricky Alvarez halved the deficit before Palacio fired home an equalizer with 20 minutes remaining .

And with the contest entering the second minute of stoppage time , Palacio found space to drill home a dramatic winner .

`` We had a terrible 20 minute period and were punished for our mistake on the first goal , '' coach Andrea Stramaccioni told Sky Italia .

`` Luckily this team has thick skin and managed to fight their way back into the game .

`` It 's an important victory for us against a team which is in great form . Thankfully the real Inter emerged after the interval . ''

English managers on the brink ?

Elsewhere , Fiorentina gained a 2-1 win over Chievo , Bolgona defeated Cagliari 3-0 and Emanuel Icardi 's 58th minute effort secured all three points for Sampdoria against Parma .

Atalanta recorded a 2-0 win at Siena courtesy of Giacomo Bonaventura 's double , while Torino and Palermo 's game ended goalless .

In the late game , Roma defeated Genoa 3-1 with Francesco Totti on target .

Lewandowski brace earns Dortmund points

In Germany , Bayern Munich maintained its 17 point lead at the top of the Bundesliga following a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim .

Mario Gomez 's strike gave Bayern its 10th straight win , despite being given a difficult afternoon by the relegation threatened side .

`` The game was very difficult because of the opponent 's league predicament , '' coach Jupp Heynckes told reporters .

`` We had to work hard for the win , it was n't brilliant or glamorous , but in return for 90 minutes work , we got three points .

`` We were a bit superficial ; we were n't direct enough and not lively enough . It took a while to warm up the engine . ''

Meanwhile , Bayern has been drawn at home to face Wolfsburg in the German Cup semifinal , while Freiburg will travel to Stuttgart in the other fixture .

In France , Lyon was held to a 1-1 draw at Brest , while Marseille reclaimed third place in Ligue 1 after coming from behind to defeat Troyes 2-1 .

Lille saw off Bordeaux 2-1 in the day 's late game thanks to goals from Ronny Rodelin and Salomon Kalou .

In Spain , Atletico Madrid was held to a goalless draw at Malaga as it missed out on the chance to close the gap on leader Barcelona .

Granada suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Mallorca , Espanyol drew 0-0 with Valladolid and Real Sociedad shared a six-goal thriller with Real Betis as it ended 3-3 .

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Tottenham wins derby match against Arsenal 2-1 Sunday

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Gareth Bale has now scored 20 goals for Spurs so far this season

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Inter Milan fights back to win 3-2 at Catania in Serie A

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Bayern Munich wins again to stay 17 points clear at summit